Coffee lovers, here are some good news for all of you. Apparently the dark, aromatic libation that beckons you to drink every morning does contain numerous natural chemical compounds that can make you healthier. But hold the sugar, milk, creamer or those other stuff you usually add into your cup. Coffee is actually better on its own.

For young people, drinking coffee might help boost your brain power. We all aware coffee causes us to feel awake and energetic since it curbs adenosine from binding with the neuroreceptors. Instead, it stimulates the brain to increase neuronal firing and release of other neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine, improving your memory and general cognitive function. Overtime, not only it protects but may preserve your cognitive potential as you grow older and reduce risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and even stroke.

Black Coffee also stimulates the central nervous system to increase metabolism, oxidation of fatty acids and mobilizing fatty acids from fatty tissues and therefore, increases physical stamina. Anybody who wanted to prolong their workout session and even to shed off some pound, a cup coffee might boost your exercise time 30 percent long, while chugging some brew during the workout can delay fatigue by up to 60 percent. Next time before you pack some sugar laden energy drink, try brewing some extra coffee to take with you to the gym or along that challenging trail.

Diabetes is among rampant diseases that plague majority of population today. And drinking coffee might help protect you from falling into the statistic of diabetes sufferer, especially type 2 diabetes. Imbibing a few cups of coffee per day apparently increases sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) that may improve body’s tolerance to glucose by boosting metabolism or improving its tolerance to insulin.

Coffee can also protect your heart in a number of ways. The irresistible brew contains a few cardiovascular protection constituents such as potassium, soluble fiber and polyphenols. Filtered coffee for example has shown its ability to curb Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) from rising unlike unfiltered coffee. The filter deters two diterpenes, cafestol and kahweol that are present in the coffee grind from passing through into the drink. As long as you are non-cigarette smoker, drinking two to four cups per day reduces your chance from developing the dreaded number one killer disease by 20 percent, while enjoying up to six cups per day increase the number up to 33 percent, any more than that, the percentage remains the same. One thing remains certain, moderation is the key. Although Voltaire did down more than 50 cups daily for inspiration, our body actually needs around two to six cups to get the most of the benefits.

London – Taking paracetamol with a mug of coffee is often recommended by experts as an effective way to tackle a headache.

A combined paracetamol and caffeine pill is being tested against against ibuprofen for treating tension headaches.

Now a trial is under way comparing the effectiveness of a combined paracetamol and caffeine pill against ibuprofen for the treatment of tension-type headaches.

Around 300 people are taking part in the trial at Parexel International, a U.S. clinical research organisation. Those having the active treatment will take capsules containing 500 milligrams of paracetamol and 65mg of caffeine (the amount found in an average mug of coffee). Caffeine is a weak stimulant, which may boost the effect of paracetamol.

In a study carried out at Oxford University, researchers found that combining paracetamol with 100mg or more of caffeine helps relieve pain in 10 per cent more people.

London – It is well known that a can of Coca Cola contains a lot of sugar, nine teaspoons in one can to be precise, but many other products on the shelves of our supermarkets also have very high levels of sugar.

A campaign by the group Action on Sugar plans to promote the amount of sugar that we consume on a daily basis in an effort to tackle obesity and diabetes. The UK based group will provide information to the public on how to avoid the hidden sugar that we all consume everyday in products as well as putting pressure on manufacturers to reduce the amount of sugar they use.Action on Sugar chairman Graham MacGregor commented that “We must now tackle the obesity epidemic both in the UK and worldwide.”

Action on Sugar believes that the majority of sugar added to food and drink products is completely unnecessary and that have set a target of reducing the amount of sugar in products by 20 percent to 30 percent over a five-year period is a reasonable goal. “This is a simple plan which gives a level playing field to the food industry, and must be adopted by the Department of Health to reduce the completely unnecessary and very large amounts of sugar the food and soft drink industry is currently adding to our foods,” added MacGregor. As an example of how much sugar we consume everyday a few products were highlighted by the campaign group. A Starbucks caramel frappuccino with whipped cream with skimmed milk (tall): 273kcal; has an amazing 11 teaspoons of sugar. And the popular breakfast cereal Kellogg’s Frosties with semi-skimmed milk (30g) has four teaspoons of sugar. There are also some rather surprising results such as Heinz Classic Tomato Soup (300g) which has four teaspoons of sugar and Glaceau Vitamin Water, Defence (500ml) which has four teaspoons of sugar.

Dr Aseem Malhotra, a cardiologist and science director of Action on Sugar, commented for the BBC that “Added sugar has no nutritional value whatsoever and causes no feeling of satiety.” Almost two thirds of the population of the UK are classified as being obese or overweight and the hidden sugars in many of the products that we consume on a regular basis is seen as a reason for this problem.

I’ve been following Mark Sisson’s writing on nutrition since we spoke at the same convention in Orlando together a few years ago, and enjoy some of the more unconventional recipes he shares from time to time. Recently, someone shared an article he wrote about adding egg yolks to coffee after he heard about Vietnamese egg coffee, so I decided to give it a try.

Four egg yolks, mixed and slowly stirred into to sixteen ounces of coffee with a fork produced a smooth, creamy taste that was much lighter than I expected and surprisingly did not taste like yolk at all. Unlike butter and coconut or MCT oil, which do not blend well with a fork and tend to separate after a while even when mixed with a blender, the yolk and coffee mixture remained consistent. Yesterday I tried adding a heaping tablespoon of coconut oil, just to see how it would mix, and although the eggs still mixed smoothly the coconut oil separated and started to pool at the top after a few minutes. Today I figured I’d give the Vietnamese version a try, and whipped four egg yolks and a two tablespoons of sweetened, condensed milk in the bottom of the mug (as opposed to the one egg yolk and two teaspoons the recipe called for) before stirring in the coffee. It blended perfectly, and tasted great (while adding about +-120 calories).

If you’re trying to increase your protein and calorie intake, you can’t go wrong with eggs. A dozen extra large egg yolks will give you around 660 calories and 36 grams of protein. If you save the whites to mix in a smoothie or shake the total goes up to about 960 calories and a substantial 84 grams of protein. All for less than three dollars. By comparison, a single serving of most weight gain powders costs between three and five dollars, and only provides about half the calories and protein (for example, Weider Mass Gainer 2000, costs $3.66 per serving, with only 400 calories and a meager 25 grams of protein – most of the calories come from maltodextrin). Use one yolk for every four ounces of coffee, or two per cup. Separating all those yolks quickly becomes a pain in the ass, so if you plan to try this I recommend getting a good egg separator. I picked up aGood Grips 3-in-1 Separator this morning which has an edge for cracking and sits right on the edge of a bowl or glass, and made the process much easier.

After separating the yolks add them to a separate container for mixing, optionally along with your choice of sweetener. When pouring your coffee, make sure to leave enough room for the yolks, then slowly pour them in while stirring with a fork. They mix very easily so you don’t need to mess with a blender, which makes one less thing you have to wash later.

Drive-through cappuccinos have moved one step closer to reality at the Railway Triangle after councillors approved plans for the city’s latest Costa.

It is to open a branch of the coffee chain next to the roundabout leading to the new Morrisons supermarket.

The Metz Way development, known as Triangle Park could also pave the way for a new bar and restaurant – and even a takeaway – alongside four other light industrial units.

A £30,000 piece of public art will also be commissioned for the site.

Gloucester City Council’s planning committee granted approval for the outline plans at a meeting on Tuesday night.

But city councillor Mary Smith (L, Robinswood) said: “What does a coffee shop need with a drive-through? Surely if you’re in your car you can drive home and make a coffee when you get back?”

It will be the city’s 11th Costa when it opens.

Others can be found at King’s Walk, Southgate Street, Eastgate Street, St Oswald and Gloucester Quays, while Costa Express outlets are in Longlevens, Matson, Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and two city centre Tesco Express stores.

The Railway Triangle development will pave the way for hundreds of new jobs on top of the 350 created by Morrisons.

But there are fears that the site is now creating unprecedented noise levels for nearby residents.

Christina Reeves, from Armscroft Gardens, said: “Since the completion of phase one of the redevelopment there is now a constant hum of traffic noise from Metz Way which was not the case before the Morrisons store was opened and fully operational.

“It is evident that the traffic noise originates from the elevated section of Metz Way between the road bridge and the entrance to Morrisons.

“There is no buffer behind the crash barriers on this section and with the redeveloped site acting like an amphitheatre the traffic noise is carried toward Armscroft Gardens.

“This problem is having a detrimental impact on the living conditions of residents.”

But planning officer Adam Smith said that the council’s planning team had worked with developers on improving the planned landscaping around the site.

“We have looked at improving the area around the service yard,” he said.

“Costa drive-throughs seem to be very popular at the moment.”

Public art will also be installed, possibly along the embankment along Metz Way, but developers cannot put a sculpture on the roundabout because access is sometimes needed by large Network Rail vehicles to get to the railway.

]]>https://matthew84oscar.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/costa-coffee-chain-business-gets-go-ahead-for-first-gloucester-drive-through/feed/0matthew84oscarInternational coffee fest to be held in Bangalore from Jan 21https://matthew84oscar.wordpress.com/2014/01/10/international-coffee-fest-to-be-held-in-bangalore-from-jan-21/
https://matthew84oscar.wordpress.com/2014/01/10/international-coffee-fest-to-be-held-in-bangalore-from-jan-21/#respondFri, 10 Jan 2014 03:41:01 +0000http://matthew84oscar.wordpress.com/?p=45Continue reading →]]>NEW DELHI, JAN 9: The 5th India International Coffee Festival, the flagship event of the coffee sector, will be held in Bangalore from January 21-25.

The event is being organised by the India Coffee Trust and promoted by the state-run Coffee Board of the Union Commerce Ministry. About 1,000 delegates and 10,000 visitors are expected to participate.

“We have two additions to the event: there will be ’Launchpad’ for launching new blends, products, services and technologies. The other would be coffee themed quiz,” Coffee Board Chairman Jawaid Akhtar told reporters here.

For the first time, the Board will give away the ‘Barista Championship’ awards for best roaster, curer, exhibitor and for latte art, he added.

With the ‘Changing Face of Coffee’ as theme of the festival, the event would comprise of conference and exhibition on the coffee sector.

The conference aims to capture the changes taking place in the coffee sector and will discuss current trends related to production as well as take a close look at the prevailing market scenario.

It will focus on issues such as health aspects of coffee, innovative and alternate channels of coffee delivery to consumer among others.

There will be workshops on processing, brewing, roasting, espresso making, cooking with coffee, art on silk and coffee entrepreneurship.

A trip to Coorg, called ‘Coffee Trail to Coorg,’ will be conducted at the end of the festival.

The first three editions of the festival were held in Bangalore, the traditional coffee capital of the country, whereas the fourth edition was organised in Delhi.

Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are the major coffee producing states in the country.

(CNN) – You’ve probably gotten the shakes from drinking too much coffee trying to stay up late to study or finish a project, but it turns out the side effects of overdosing on caffeine can be quite a bit worse than that.

Caffeine poisoning is kind of like food poisoning. There are ways to tell that you’ve got it.

According to the National Institutes of Health, some symptoms include:

breathing trouble

convulsions

fever

hallucinations

irregular heartbeat

dizziness

Some of those side effects are possible if you’re downing more than 500 to 600 milligrams a day, but it really isn’t hard to get there.

The best way to avoid it is to stick to the caffeine dosage doctors recommend, about 200 TO 300 milligrams per day.

So what does that mean?

It’s about two to four brewed cups of coffee. One cup of coffee is eight ounces, so two 21-ounce venti drip coffees from Starbucks every day is probably going to put you over the edge.

One 16-ounce can of Monster packs 240 milligrams of caffeine.

This has become a controversial topic.

Some scientists say you would have to drown in a pot of coffee before drinking enough of it to kill you. But some health group point to a surge in visits to the ER over just the last few years – specifically due to the increase in the consumption of energy drinks. The FDA has said it is taking another look at caffeinated food and plans to look in to how energy drinks affect young people.

If you are concerned about your caffeine intake, you may want to start checking the nutrition labels of your drinks, food and supplements — not just for the calorie count – but to see just how much caffeine you are really getting each day.

According to one FDA report, more than 98 percent of our caffeine intake comes from beverages. But those aren’t the only sources of caffeine: Certain foods, such as chocolate (though not much: a one-ounce milk chocolate bar contains only about 5mg of caffeine), and medications can also contain caffeine. Combining a pain reliever with caffeine can make it 40 percent more effective, the Cleveland Clinic reports, and can also help the body to absorb the medication more quickly.

According to a recent BBC article, Finland takes the crown for the country with the highest caffeine consumption, with the average adult downing 400mg each day. Worldwide, 90 percent of people use caffeine in some form, the FDA reports.

According to the FDA, 80 percent of U.S. adults consume caffeine each day, with an individual intake of 200mg. To put that in real world terms, the average caffeine-consuming American drinks two five-ounce cups of coffee or about four sodas.

While another estimate puts the total closer to 300mg, both numbers fall within the definition of moderate caffeine consumption, which is between 200 and 300mg, according to the Mayo Clinic. Daily doses higher than 500 to 600mg are considered heavy and may cause problems such as insomnia, irritability, and a fast heartbeat, among others.